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“Hey, Dean, looking for Ness?”
I smile at Gretchen. “Yes, she said to meet her here.”
“She’s in the stacks somewhere. Last time I saw her, she was on the second floor in the back left corner.”
I smile again at the young woman who is my girl’s assistant. “Thanks.”
I take the stairs, hustling to get up there. The rows and rows of shelves meet me. I follow the empty aisles and make my way to the back corner. I stop, watching her climb a ladder, the books in her hand are precariously stacked, so they wobble slightly. I don’t want to startle her, so I stand there, keeping quiet until she has them sitting on the top step of the ladder.
“I think you could carry less books next time.”
“Ha. Not a chance. It’s a delicate dance that I’m leading here. How was your last class?”
“Fine, the best one yet. Just glancing at their tests, they might be the most advanced of my freshmen. How’s your morning been?”
“That’s good, I’m sure most of them are well versed. No one expects a test on day one.”
She does not agree with my methods some days. And that’s okay.
“Yeah, I know, but it’s the best way to see where they are. I’ve explained that.”
“I know, I’m not fussing. Honest.” She climbs down, grinning as she goes up on her tiptoes to ask for a kiss. I oblige and lean down to her, capturing her mouth with mine.
“Are you able to get away? I’m feeling a steak from Texas Roadhouse.”
She looks at her watch and nods. “I could eat. I didn’t realize it was after two already. Someone decided to rearrange books up here, so…”
I chuckle. “They probably do that to see if you’re paying attention.”
“The library never closes, so maybe. Some of these kids have no respect for order. I hope this year gets better, but no matter where we are in the school year, most will not put a book back where they got it. I have carts in each section to return books so we can put them away. They just don’t follow directions well. This next generation is doomed.”
I wrap my arm around her, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I know, love. Come on, let’s go eat. When I bring you back, I need to head over to the resource center and get more copies made. You know, since your devil cat made me have to toss out an entire folder of puke-covered papers this morning.”
Her laughter, soft and full of mirth, surrounds me. She puts a hand to her mouth. “I’m sorry. It’s just, I don’t know why he is acting this way. He does like you. He lets you love on him.”
“He tolerates my petting him when he demands it. The only time he is happy to see me otherwise is when I have treats.”
Once again she laughs. I shake my head and lead her to her office. Once she has her bag, we set off toward the parking lot. I’m going to get us fed then get ready for the next school day. The life of a teacher, no matter the level they teach, is never dull. I can only hope tomorrow will be a good day.
Chapter 2
Vanessa
That little turd!
“Stanley Alexander!” I look around the mud room absolutely horrified. There is cat litter everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. It resembles the news videos of what happens when a wind storm comes through.
Signing, I walk to the cabinet in the corner, open it, and pull out the broom and dustpan. This is not the first time this has happened, but it isn’t something that happens all that often. He really is a good cat, even if he’s a terror to poor Dean.
My cat and boyfriend are fighting for the same prize: me. I love them both so they’ll just have to work out their own crap.
Thanks to his mess, I have to change his water, dump the last little bit of his dry food, and completely clean the entire room. Granted, it’s a large mud room, but there isn’t much floor space. The sink and cabinets take up one entire wall. There’s a bench just inside the back door, where we sit to change shoes out. Or clothes if we get stuck in a downpour, which has happened more than once. It also allows us to change after going out to the garden and barn. We’re trying to get it all fixed up so we can start to introduce animals to the property.
I want some chickens, maybe a couple of goats and a horse or two. Growing up I’d had all of that and then some. I love animals as much as I love books. When Dean bought this property, it had been for the house. The old ranch house is large, with hardwood floors throughout and the biggest porch I’ve ever seen. It sits off the road a half a mile. The nearest neighbor is a mile up the road, and yet, it’s not that far from town. All in all, it’s the perfect place to settle down.
I shut the room off to the kitchen, not wanting the dust of the litter to flow out into my nice, clean kitchen. If Stanley needs to come in, he can use the dog-sized cat door. You heard that right.
My Stanley is a big boy. He has Maine Coon in him, so he stands about ten inches high, weighs a solid thirteen pounds, and has enough fur on him to make sure I have to dust every other day and the vacuums have to run twice a day. His black and dark gray fur has stripes in it. It’s super thick too. His green eyes and small pointed ears just add to his cuteness.
